The Wellcome Collection is staging its first major event next week. In its remit to do more adult-oriented science commnication work, it will be screening a live heart operation from a team led by surgeon Francis Wells at Papworth Hospital in Cambridge. The satellite link will allow the 200-strong audience in London to watch Mr Wells carry out a complex reconstruction of a heart valve.

Mr Wells, who will be appearing on next week's Science Weekly podcast to preview the remarkable event and to discuss how his work has been influenced by Leonardo Da Vinci, said:

"This interactive broadcast is an opportunity to demystify surgery and encourage more people to understand the magnitude of what the heart is about and what it does for us. It is the first organ to work at conception and the last to die, yet how much do we really know about its function? The heart is a labyrinth of beauty, and I believe the more people know about it, the more they will appreciate what it takes to maintain good health."

All very fascinating. You have to marvel at the bravery of the patient, though. Not sure I'd be OK with having an operation while my surgeon is regularly distracted by 200 inquisitive people...